From Charcoal to Diamond
by Satan of Hell
Summary: AU. After the events on the Day of the Royals, Bloom seeks to make amends to Diaspro and move on with her life. Seeing an opportunity to strike back at tabloid reporters, Diaspro decides to get to know Bloom on more personal terms. But underneath the surface lurk secrets and mysteries that neither girl expected... things that could bring them together or drive them apart.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: This is an Alternate Universe to Season 1, in which the aftermath of the episode Royal Heartbreak played out much differently. The series canon beyond that point is being thrown into a pit of hellfire and destroyed, since none of that will enhance this story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club nor did the writers sell their souls to me for a popular series (though if they had, it would be a much better series; Season 5 was a train wreck). I make no profit from posting this story. **

**From Charcoal to Diamond**

**1. The High Road**

Morning dawned over the Alfea campus with all its usual glory, the twin suns bathing the sky in a watercolor wash of pinks, oranges, yellows, and purples. The instructors—awake long before the suns—were taking their morning beverages of choice and making last-moment changes to their lesson plans. Few students, if any, were awake at such an early hour.

Bloom Peters was one of those few early risers this morn, mostly due to the fact that she hadn't slept at all the previous night. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying and dark purplish half-moons were beginning to appear on the skin underneath them. Despite being emotionally and physically worn-out, the redheaded fairy never managed to calm down enough to sleep.

At first she had been riding on a wave of betrayal and anger. Who wouldn't be, after discovering that their boyfriend not only lied about his identity, but also the fact that he was engaged to be married to a freakin' _fairy princess_? However, once the white-hot rage subsided, a numbing sense of guilt and shame crept over her. She, in a moment of hurt and confusion, had attacked an innocent with her flames. She had accused a total stranger of being one of the Trix in disguise and outright attacked her at a festival. While she had been upset before, she had never done something like this. Maybe the Trix's little prank with that book was more right then event they knew? Maybe Bloom wasn't cut out to be a fairy after all?

One thing was certain, though: no matter what lengths she had to go through, Bloom fully intended to make a formal apology to Diaspro and dump Brandon (or Sky, or whatever the hell his name was) once and for all. Prince or not, attractive or not, he wasn't worth it. He'd lied about something very personal and she wasn't willing to forgive him for it. She might never be willing to forgive this. However, she was willing to acknowledge that she had acted wrongly and beg forgiveness from Princess Diaspro. Whether or not the blonde royal accepted her apology didn't matter as much as the fact that she'd actually made one.

With this in mind, Bloom dug through her desk drawers and pulled out her best ink pens—the ones usually reserved for outlining her artwork—and a stationary pad. It took several drafts (each of which were crumbled up and burned to ashes when it didn't pan out) before she finally wrote something that looked appropriate to send to a princess she barely knew. Smiling, she folded the letter up and went to Flora's desk to fetch an envelope.

One small step for a fairy, one giant leap for womankind…

* * *

The royal palace of Isis was one of the most opulent buildings in all the known realms. Virtually everything was made of the finest stone and wood to be found in the magical dimension and much of that was either inlaid or gilded with gold. Princess Diaspro's sleeping quarters were no exception to the rule. Creamy silk and rich burgundy velvet contrasted the gray stone walls of her room, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. A dark wood writing desk—perfectly matching the bed and nightstand—sat in front of a small window on the east wall.

Despite a room full of creature comforts and a closet filled with the most expensive dresses and shoes money could buy, Diaspro was in a sour mood. Her future, all her hopes and dreams, had been shattered in the span of two days. Due to Prince Sky's bout of infidelity, she was no longer engaged to her childhood friend, set to become queen of both Eraklyon and Isis. No, their engagement contract was now voided, there were scorch marks in her usually impeccable hair, and every royal who bothered to attend the display at Red Fountain knew precisely why that was.

At first, she had been well and truly pissed at Bloom. Who did the commoner think she was, accusing her of being a witch? Who was she to lure Sky away from his fiancé? But the more Diaspro learned about the annoying redhead (not that there was very much to learn about an incoming freshman), the more she began to realize that the blame fell on Sky's shoulders. This girl, naïve to the ways of the magical dimension, had been targeted for her powers and deceived by a group of witches from a neighboring university. One of them had gone so far as to impersonate Princess Stella of Solaria, if the tabloids were to be believed. She could understand why the redhead would react so violently in that situation.

What she could not understand was why Sky lied about being engaged. Really, how hard was it to say that he was spoken for? He didn't have to tell her his true identity to let her know that! How difficult was it to mention his relationship status? Very difficult, obviously, or he would have done it long before the Day of the Royals.

"Milady," one of the servant girls meekly opened the door to her chambers, a white envelope in her hands, "you have a letter."

"If it's another forced apology from that troll of a prince…" A rather unladylike snarl formed on the blonde fairy's lips as she recalled the last letter she received.

"It is not written in his hand or sealed with the palace crest, Milady." The servant replied, gingerly handing the letter to her mistress. Sure enough, the handwriting on the note was distinctly feminine though wholly unfamiliar.

"Thank you, Daneel." Diaspro nodded to the young servant. "Have all the servants screen my mail; send anything written in Prince Sky of Eraklyon's hand into the fire used to cook dinner."

"As you wish, Milady." Daneel bowed, scurrying out of the room.

Frowning, the princess examined the envelope carefully. It was made of common white paper and was of the standard letter size—available at an affordable price on any developed realm. The penmanship was the looping, elegant sort of cursive that one would expect from a woman, usually one who had been forced at a young age to write in formal cursive. It also appeared to be written in quality ink, in contrast to the mediocre paper. Odd, Diaspro thought to herself as she carefully opened the envelope and emptied its contents.

The letter inside left her speechless.

_To Crown Princess Diaspro of Isis, _

_I would prefer to say such things in person, but due to recent events I doubt you would want me within ten meters of your person. You would be well within your rights to feel that way, and as I do not wish a confrontation with you or your guards, this letter is the next best alternative. _

_First and foremost, I wish to apologize for my behavior towards you at the Red Fountain Day of the Royals festival a few days ago. Taking my frustrations out on you and accusing you of such terrible things was wrong, and there is regrettably no excuse I can offer for my lack of decorum. I do not expect you to forgive me yet, if at all, but I feel compelled to tell you that I am deeply sorry for my actions and mean you no ill will should we meet again in. _

_Secondly, I have no intention of further pursuing a relationship with Prince Sky of Eraklyon, or as I knew him, squire Brandon. There are a great many things I can tolerate, but deception of that magnitude is not one of them. He lied to me about you just as he lied about his name and social standing. I can the reason behind switching places with his squire, but there is simply no set of circumstances in which his completely omitting you in his conversations with me is okay. Had I known he had someone waiting for him at home, I never would have encouraged his attempts to win my affection. _

_Perhaps someday the two of us can become valued acquaintances, if friendship is now too far out of reach. You seem like a collected, driven young woman and I am sure that I could learn much from you should you decide to pursue correspondence with me of any sort. I am deeply sorry for how I acted toward you and wish you the best of luck with Prince Sky, should you decide to keep him. _

_Best regards, _

_Miss Bloom A. Peters _

Diaspro re-read the letter three times over, trying to convince her mind that her eyes were not, in fact, playing tricks on her. For a petty commoner, this Bloom girl had an impressive grasp of formal letter formatting. Also, despite the formal wording of the letter, Bloom's apologetic tone came across clearly. It wasn't stiff or so deeply buried under large words that you had to squint to see it, unlike the recent correspondences from the Eraklyon royal family. Bloom felt genuinely sorry for her behavior and wanted Diaspro to know it.

A part of Diaspro really wanted to play the part of the wronged ex who despised the "other woman" on principal. It would be an easy thing to direct her feelings of anger, hurt, and betrayal at Bloom, yet that option would give her no real satisfaction. However, another more devious part of her knew that becoming acquaintances with this Earth girl would get under Sky's skin. Even if they never truly became friends, they could still thoroughly confound the numerous tabloid news reporters who were currently trying to paint them as hated enemies. And she did so love stumping the tabloids…

A smile formed on her red-lacquered lips as she pulled out her pen and a sheet of royal stationary from one of her desk drawers. This was going to be a very amusing game, she thought as she wrote out her response.

_To Miss Bloom Peters,_

_I am sure that you believe I hate your very existence at this moment, but that is not the case. While I remain a bit miffed, I am also intelligent enough to realize that we have both been played for fools in this whole affair. As you stated previously, there is no set of circumstances in which what Prince Sky did to the both of us is acceptable behavior. _

_As I am unsure how public this announcement was, I shall tell it to you here rather than leave you to discover it for yourself. My engagement to Prince Sky has been officially annulled. It has been a rather crushing blow for me, as I have literally spent my whole life preparing to become the best wife and future queen the heir to Eraklyon could want. I love Sky; we have been dear friends since infancy, which is doubtless the reason behind our engagement. For some time I have known that he did not fancy me in a romantic sense, but I never once suspected he could be capable of such a great deception. He has never been a good liar in my experience, but then I have had many more years to learn his tells than you._

_If you can find time in your schedule, I would like to meet with you in person as soon as possible so that we may learn more about one another. Whether or not we eventually become friends, it will certainly shock the reporters who have likely been lurking around the front gates of your school hoping to get a good photo of you. Dragon knows how they've set up camp outside the palace. _

_Please respond at your earliest convenience. _

_Sincerely, _

_Princess Diaspro of Isis_


	2. Chapter 2

**From Charcoal to Diamond**

**2. What Is This Feeling?**

Bloom glanced around nervously as she finished up her shift at the White Horse Café. Three days had passed since she received the reply from Diaspro, and while she had considered leaving Magix and returning to Earth to mope around and sort things out in her mind, she realized that it would paint a rather unfavorable picture of her and potentially cause her to lose her job here. Since life in the magical dimension, and at Alfea, was rather expensive, she needed to keep this job for as long as she could. Someday she might even get a promotion!

Just as she punched out her time card for the evening, the familiar form of the platinum blonde princess entered the building. The fairy of gemstones looked as impeccable as ever, donning a red polo shirt, white jeans, and red wedge sandals for the evening and pulling her long hair into an artfully messy up-do. Bloom felt a pang of envy looking at the other teen. Diaspro looked like she just stepped off a runway somewhere, and here she was in a grease and mustard-stained white t-shirt and khaki skirt, her long wavy locks—barely restrained by a headband—looked more 'mess' than 'class'. Yet in amidst the jealousy and self-loathing there was a definite sense of attraction. Even when trying to blend in with the rest of the world, Diaspro's beauty seemed to outshine that of everyone else nearby. How on earth could Sky have not been attracted to her?

Steeling her nerves, Bloom took a deep breath and began walking toward the woman. "I'm surprised you agreed to see me so soon." She spoke up as Diaspro not-so-subtly gave her an once-over.

"In my experience, it is best to handle matters such as this one swiftly." Diaspro replied, leveling her honey-brown gaze at the redhead.

"Of course." Bloom nodded, inwardly kicking herself. She wanted to make a good second impression, yet all she seemed to accomplish involved her sounding like an uneducated idiot. "If you would please follow me, I will take you to the most private table the White Horse has to offer." Diaspro raised a perfectly-manicured blonde eyebrow, but followed nonetheless.

The most secluded table that the White Horse Café could produce was a corner booth huddled in the corner farthest from the door. Bloom led the way there, grabbing a pair of menus from the rack near the front as they passed by it. The evening rush had already begun to descend on the café, and she fully intended to make life as easy on her co-workers as she could manage. Once they arrived, the pair sat down and began to glance over their menus.

"I take it you are working your way through college, then?" Diaspro inquired, looking directly at her dinner companion. Bloom sighed.

"Not exactly. I managed to get a full-ride scholarship because I come from a realm that's technically listed as non-magical, but since I didn't want to pillage Stella's closet any time a special occasion came up, I decided to get a job so I could buy my own stuff."

"Fair enough, I suppose." The tanned fairy remarked as one of the servers stopped at their table.

"Hello, my name is Leiana and I will be your server tonight. Can I get you two ladies something to drink?" A waitress in her mid-twenties asked, pen and notepad at the ready.

"Red berry soda, please." Diaspro remarked, only briefly looking up from her menu.

"Iced mint tea for me, Leiana." Bloom smiled at her slightly-older co-worker. The brunette woman returned the grin, writing down the drink orders and looking between the women.

"Do you two know what you'd like for dinner, or do you need a few minutes?" Leiana inquired.

"Give us a while." Bloom flashed her best sweet smile at the woman, who winked in response.

"I'll have those drinks right out for you, then." The brunette smiled before flitting off to the next table.

"So, what's it like on Isis?" Bloom asked, trying to keep the conversation as polite as possible

Diaspro narrowed her eyes slightly, studying the cyan-eyed redhead across the booth. Bloom Peters of Earth was pretty. Not the model-like beauty that seemed to be the standard on Isis or the athletic but delicate figures that dominated Eraklyon, but she definitely wasn't plain. It was probably that uniqueness that attracted Sky to the ingénue in the first place. There was also a sense of curiosity and transparency about her that rather endeared Diaspro to the younger girl.

"Restrictive, but I suppose that might just apply to palace life." She answered Bloom's inquiry. "It's a beautiful planet with beautiful people and architecture—on the outside. Some of them are rather mean underneath the attractive exterior."

"Eh, it's like that on every planet, even the non-magical ones." Bloom added in a roll of her eyes for emphasis as she spoke. "You think someone is nice, but then you get to know them…"

"And they stab you in the heart by way of your back." Diaspro finished, her voice cracking toward the end of the statement. It hadn't really occurred to her just how similar yet completely different the two of them were. The commoner and the princess, the wildflower and the rose—two women forever united by magic and emotional turmoil. "The question remains, though: what do we want to do about this?"

Bloom chewed her lip, eyebrows frowning in thought. "I don't know about you, but I have no intention of letting him back into my life. There's a lot of things I can tolerate, but this?" she shook her head, red curls flying to and fro. "I just wish this whole mess had come at a much better time in my life."

"How so?" Sure, it was beyond nosy to ask, but Diaspro was more than a little curious as to what else was going on in the redhead's life. Were the tabloid accounts even remotely accurate?

"I'm being targeted by a group of bloodthirsty witches who think I have this phenomenal ancient power called the Dragon's Flame. They'd already tried to trick me into thinking I was a witch by casting a spell on a book about my life and origins, and now they've spelled one of Sky's friends against us." Strong emotions clouded her eyes, giving the fairy a somewhat sinister appearance. "Oh, and that stupid book was right: I was adopted, and my parents never saw fit to tell me before now."

"Adopted?" If the first fairy from planet Earth in more than two generations was adopted, it opened up the intriguing possibility of her not being an Earth-born fairy. "Do they know anything about your real parents? Any clues why these witches think you have the Dragon's Flame?" Which was an interesting claim in and of itself. Only a fairy with ancestry tracing to the planet Domino should be able to handle the power of the Dragon's Flame. But the two princesses of Domino perished when that realm was laid barren by the Ancestral Witches, or so the history books stated. Dafne was confirmed dead, her ghostly nymph form supposedly bound to Lake Roccaluce outside of Magix City, but the body of Princess Helena was never found.

Could it be…?

"No. My dad is a firefighter; he found me in in a three-alarm house fire." Bloom sighed, shoulders drooping. "Everything around me was burning to ashes, but I was perfectly safe."

"The Dragon Flame protects its own." Diaspro breathed, recalling information she'd memorized in primary school. Her epiphany was paused somewhat by the arrival of their waitress, drink tray in hand.

"Have you decided what to order?" Leiana asked, looking expectantly at them as she placed their drinks on the table.

"Fried poultry breast with gravy, side of mixed vegetables and fries." Bloom tried to plaster on her usual cheery smile, but it came off looking melancholy and forced this time. "What about you, Diaspro?"

"Grilled whitefish with salad." She offered the waitress a smile, handing in her menu. Leiana left again, leaving Diaspro and Bloom to themselves once again.

"What did you mean by that?" Bloom asked, leaning in closer. "'The Dragon's flame protects its own'; what does that mean?"

Casting a cautionary glance sideways, Diaspro leaned forward as well. "It's something that students in the magical dimension learn about in primary school. There are a handful of "pure" powers in our world, the major ones being the Dragon's Flame and the Water Stars. A third is given through possession by the Shadow Phoenix, but is not relevant to this discussion." She whispered, hardened brown eyes meeting Bloom's anxious blue ones. "The last recorded fairy to hold the power of the Water Stars was Princess Dafne of Domino, and it is rumored that her infant sister Helena possessed the Dragon's flame. Dafne became a nymph—a fairy-ghost, if you will—that was bound to Lake Roccaluce, but no one knows what became of Helena. If she had lived, she would be about your age."

"What…what did she look like?" Anxiety gave way to desperation in less than a second. Bright eyes stared back at her, begging for assistance. "I realize she would have been young, so there may not be any photographs, but…"

"No, there are photographs." She tried to keep her collected façade in place, but the willpower required to do so was rapidly evaporating. If her hunch was right, the history of the magical dimension was about to be turned on its head. "There should be one in the Magix City Library's collection of news clippings. The most recent picture of the royal family was used in the papers when Domino fell…the last family portrait would have been taken the previous spring when Dafne returned from Alfea for the summer."

"We'll be cutting it close." The redhead fretted, glancing at her wristwatch. "To get there before it closes and get me back on campus before curfew is going to be difficult."

"Alfea's library may have what we're looking for, too." She'd forgotten about the extensive private collection both headmasters and librarians of the college had amassed over the years. Since Dafne was a student at the time of her death, it was highly probable they would find something in that library. "We can look another day."

"Or you could stay the night and we'll do our searching now!" The younger girl practically bounced in her seat. "I know it's a long trip from here to Isis, and I'd hate to have you fly all the way out here just to turn around and fly back after dinner. If you stay, you'll be all rested for the return trip in the morning."

The logic was surprisingly sound, Diaspro decided. And it would be rude to turn down an invitation to stay at Alfea—a school she had long wanted to tour. Her parents—well meaning, but overprotective—felt that it was too dangerous to send her away to school and hired private tutors for her instead. "Very well. I will need to inform my pilot, but I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be allowed to stay."

"Wonderful." Bloom's eyes lit up, and the blonde princess found the enthusiasm infectious. It was no wonder Sky fell for the small fairy. Even Diaspro was beginning to feel a spark of…well, she wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it could definitely be considered a kind of attraction. "Once we finish up here, I can give you the grand tour of the campus and get you settled into my dorm for the night."

* * *

When Bloom mentioned doing some research during their impromptu slumber party, Diaspro hadn't counted on them doing it in the middle of the night, after the school librarian had gone to bed. She was sure they were breaking at least three rules by doing so. However, the sight of Bloom in her skimpy sleep-shorts made up for the prospect of being reprimanded somewhat. It had been a constant battle to keep herself from staring too long at Bloom's small but well-formed ass as they slunk into the library, Bloom walking directly in front of her until they were inside. After gaining access to the room, the pair split up and Diaspro was left alone with her thoughts.

Tonight brought up emotions and wants she thought she'd buried years ago. When she realized that she would not be able to choose her life mate, Diaspro resigned herself to becoming the 'perfect woman' for her fiancé, Prince Sky. She loved him, yes, but not in the way a wife should love a husband. Sky was a dear friend, someone she had known her entire life and—until a couple of weeks ago—had trusted with her life and her emotions. She knew that he at least suspected that she wasn't nearly as fond of men as she was some of the noblewomen in her court, but had kept silent about it all these years. She hoped he would continue to do so once news of the contract annulment reached Eraklyon.

"I think I found it." Bloom's hushed cry for attention sounded from a few rows away. Sighing, Diaspro shifted the load of books in her arms slightly and walked toward where the redhead sat. The look of pained shock on her companion's face told the princess exactly what the other girl found: the death announcements.

Setting the books on the table, the blonde walked to Bloom's side and leaned over her shoulder. She ignored the article; it didn't hold any information of value in this search. Instead, Diaspro focused on the full-color photograph of the royal family. Oritel and Miriam sat in the center, wearing their best robes and, in Miriam's case, gravity-defying headdresses. Behind them, the blonde form of 17-year-old Princess Dafne smiled cheerily, her brown eyes focused on the infant in Miriam's lap. Princess Helena stared wide-eyed into the camera, a soft green headband keeping her wild red hair somewhat controlled. The one-year-old princess wasn't all that remarkable for a Dominoan, having the red hair and fair, clear skin her people were known for…except for her eyes. Those brilliant, bright blue-green eyes were incredibly striking, given that neither of her parents had blue eyes. Granted, Miriam's were a lovely shade of green, but Oritel, like their oldest child Dafne, had golden brown eyes. Helena had the most beautiful shade of blue eyes Diaspro had ever seen, and she had only ever seen those eyes on one other person.

"So it is true." The strained whisper was so soft that Diaspro barely heard it. "I was-no, I am Helena of Domino."

"There is no way to be absolutely certain…"

"Oh, there is." Bloom cut her off, fishing a worn, folded photograph out of the pocket of her sleep pants. "This was taken about two months after my parents found me." Diaspro took the photo, studying it intently. The little redhead in the center wore overalls and a pink t-shirt instead of a formal dress, but there was no doubt in Diaspro's mind that both photographs used the same girl as their subject.

"This changes everything." She breathed.

"How can it? My birth parents are dead, my sister is a ghost, and my home planet is fit to be a penguin ranch!" Bloom hissed, stunned tears forming in her eyes.

"No, you don't understand, Bloom!" Diaspro knelt down next to the shell-shocked fairy. "There is a _living_ heir to the throne of Domino! One in possession of the legendary Dragon's Flame, no less! Once you are properly trained, you can potentially restore magic and life to Domino once more! The people who fled that world during the Great War would have a home again!"

"But I'm not a queen, or even a princess!" The girl shook her head vehemently. "You said it yourself, I'm a commoner. I was raised by commoners on a non-magical planet. I can't even lead a class project successfully, let alone an entire planet!"

"That's only because you've never been properly trained." In what many of her peers would call an uncharacteristic move, Diaspro's gaze softened. "Between Princess Stella and me, it won't take long for you to catch up on what you've missed."

"You…you'd really help me? After what I did to you?" The shorter fairy narrowed her eyes skeptically, her bottom lip pouting everso slightly. She made an adorable skeptic.

"You think I'm mad at you? After all we've done this evening?" Diaspro blinked, shocked by the abrupt turn Bloom's train of thought had taken. "No, sweetie, I'm mad at _Sky_, not you. I might still be miffed about what you did to my hair, but given what else had been going on in your life…well, a little over-reaction is to be expected."

"I just…I don't even know where to begin with all this."

"Well, for starters, we need to deal with those witches who've been pestering you and Princess Stella." She stated, battle plans forming in her mind. With enough prep time, they could make this work. "You mentioned them briefly before, but I'm going to need more details about them if we're going to mount a decent counter-strike. What do they look like? What are their powers? Have they stated their goals?"

"Stormy: wears a lot of maroon, has curly-kinky blue-violet hair and green eyes, and can command the weather. Her favorite attacks are an improvised cyclone and electrocuting her enemies with lightning bolts. She's got a very short fuse and seems to only enjoy hurting people" Bloom answered on automatic, barely pausing to breathe. "Then there's Darcy…she creeps me out. Has brown hair and gold eyes. Her favored spells are intended to fool her opponents into thinking she's somewhere else. She's probably the smartest of the three. Lastly, there's the leader, Icy. She controls ice and is mean, vindictive, and driven. Has silvery white hair and eyes the same color."

"Interesting. They could be dangerous, depending on their training." The princess frowned. "What year are they?"

"They're seniors, and the meanest witches in Cloud Tower, according to most of the older girls." With that comment, the redhead ducked her head to the side. "I'm no match for all three of them!"

"No, but some of your classmates, and me of course, should be able to hold them at bay long enough for their headmistress to deal with them." Unfortunately, Diaspro knew next to nothing about the student body here at Alfea. She did know, however, that Bloom had 4 dorm mates: the Solarian crown princess, the daughter of a top advisor to the crown on Zenith, a Melodian, and a Linphean. "Musa's powers deal in sound waves, which travel through air much like gusts of wind. Notes at a high enough frequency can shatter glass, so getting her to break an ice barrier shouldn't be an issue. She and Tecna—who might, given the nature of her powers, be able to do something with small amounts of static electricity—should be able to deal with Stormy. That leaves Stella and Flora for Darcy and you free to face Icy one on one."

Bloom blinked, obviously digesting the information just given to her. "You think we can make this work?"

"I know this will work; you just need training." And lots of it, she realized. She also realized that, at the moment, the redhead was in a very vulnerable position. "Bloom, I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?" Confused eyes stared back at her, emotion swirling like whirlpools beneath their blue-green surface.

"Promise me you won't go anywhere off campus alone, and I mean _anywhere_." She pleaded, placing a tanned hand over one of the redhead's pale ones. "Those witches attacked you here once, I know, but they won't risk an all-out assault on the school if it's placed on high alert."

"But it's not exactly on high alert." Bloom frowned. "Security got tighter after the nightmare demon attacked, but it's not like we're at Defcon 1 or anything." Diaspro wasn't sure what Defcon 1 meant, but got the impression that it must be something akin to "danger eminent".

"Then we must inform the headmistress tomorrow morning." The blonde stated. "We must also begin the long and likely arduous process of proving that you are, in fact, Princess Helena of Domino…"

"We? What is this 'we' business you keep talking about?" the other girl accused.

"Don't flatter yourself, dear. Let's be honest and admit that you have no idea where to start with this." She was well aware of just how haughty that statement sounded but it was true. "Now, after we speak to the headmistress, you, Princess Stella, and I will go into Magix City and speak to whoever is in the record-keeping offices. We will explain who you believe you are and ask them to perform an identification test. There may or may not be a blood-draw involved, depending on how many different verification systems they wish to employ."

"Sounds like a hassle." The redhead wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"It is, but it is necessary if we are to get this sorted out." She admitted. "Once the results of the identification tests are processed and presented to you we can discuss the finer implications of it all."

Bloom remained silent for several heartbeats, her gaze set on the photograph on the table before her. Then… "Thank you for helping me with this." She sighed, bloodshot eyes looking directly at Diaspro. "You didn't need to."

"No, but I want to." Diaspro murmured, moving her hand from its original place atop Bloom's hands and setting it on the redhead's shoulder. "I won't make a very good queen if I won't help my people when they need it, now, will I?" She held the other teen's gaze for what felt like an eternity, lost in those big blue eyes. No matter how much her body and heart screamed for her to act on her feelings, she couldn't allow herself to let her guard down. Such relationships were considered highly improper on her realm, no matter who the second party was. Besides, Bloom probably didn't feel the same for her, so it was best to leave it at longing glances and casual caresses.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"


End file.
